Reviews - Guidebook: Wild Swimming

Every now ang again somebody in the climbing worked comes up with something truly revolutionary. Arc’Teryx have done just that with their WARP technology. It’s a simple concept, and one which has no doubt been tried before, but these guys have perfected it. Imagine a regular piece of webbing: it is made up of interwoven  vertical and horizontal fibres. The vertical fibred are really only there to keep the horizontal ones in place, and give very little, if any, strength to the webbing. They have thus removed these vertical fibres, thus massively decreasing the volume and weight of the webbing, but more importantly, allowing the horizontal ones to be fanned out into a much broader and even thinner web. The whole things is then laminated with some clever bendy plastic and coated in a very thin layer of foam to create an extremely thin, lightweight, strong, and evenly loaded web which is the harness! Simple and effective.

Not content with such a ground breaking step they’ve added a few more features that make it without doubt the best harness ever built. The plastic gear loops are removable and reversible allowing you to rack your gear facing forwards or backwards. The buckles are extremely small, with a complete set of rounded edges to minimise wear, and very easy to use.

What’s it actually like to wear and use. Well there are plenty of reports that people have commented that it’s almost like wearing nothing, and it’s easy to see why. However this is no ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ story. It genuinely does weigh a mere 320g, and is barely noticeable. It’s very comfortable indeed, and really does spread the load evenly when weighted so there are no sore spots after hanging for a while in the same place. I’ve converted.

You may be interested to know that there are others in the range:
x350a (traditional climbing, 350g, adjustable leg loops)
r320 / r280 (mountaineering, 320g / 280g (men / women))
a300a (all-rounder, 300g, adjustable leg loops)
s240 (sport, 240g!)

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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After throwing away the instructions and then spending 10 minutes figuring out exactly what the Apollo does and how it does it I was very impressed indeed, so much so that when packing for a camping weekend recently I threw out the old Gaz lamp and candle lantern in favour of this one device that does everything.

Essentially it is a light for your tent or cook area. Operated by 4 AA batteries it runs a single 3 Watt LED via dual internal reflectors and a frosted case to give a very bright and event light. It’s three legs give it great stability and its rugged plastic casing lends it an air of indestructibility uncommon in most camping lights.

It has three brightness settings, and will run for 60 hours (presumably on the lowest setting).

Fantastic bit of kit.

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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I’ve had a couple of soft shells for a number of years now, and rate them very highly indeed, so it was with interest that I received this model from Millet. The Polartec Power Shield fabric claims to be rather funky. Here is the official description:

Polartec® Power Shield® fabrics feature a smooth, tightly woven nylon face for abrasion resistance equal or superior to the best shells, but without the stiffness and noise.  A polyester velour back traps air and provides a high warmth-to-weight ratio.

Polartec® Windbloc-ACT® enables the fabric to block 98% of the wind. The remaining 2% is allowed to circulate within the fabric, which greatly enhances moisture vapour transmission –2 times faster than other waterproof breathable shells – and improves breathability, reducing the risk of heat stress build-up.

In practice I actually found it to be relatively stiff on first acquaintance, but this softened up reasonable well after a few wearings. As for breathability wind and water proofness it’s so far stood up to everything I have thrown at it.

So what of the design? It’s a very technical jacket with industry standard waterproof zips, double vents on each side, an attached, but easily adjustable hood. It weighs a fairly significant 650g and retails at a fairly hefty £210. In summary, a great all-round softshell.

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear
 

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We recently reviewed the ultra lightweight Hydrogen jacket, also by TNF, which weighs in at a mere 87g. However, it isn’t really a fully functional waterproof jacket, with no hood, and non breathable ultra thin rip-stop nylon. The Triumph is heralded by TNF as being the lightest waterproof ‘jacket’ ever, weighing just 152g! How do they do this? Well, it comprises just 2 panels of material which not only means less stitching and hence less weight, but also less potential leak-points. The material itself (Hyvent DT) is seriously light, but at the same time breathable. They’ve even made the adjusting cordlocks on the hood from foam to lose an extra gram or two!

Retailing at £130 it’s a lot of pounds per gram, but if moving quickly with quality kit is your goal then it’s worth every penny.
 

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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Weighing in at 87g this is a seriously light zipped waterproof shell. It may not be breathable (rip-stop nylon), but then again it’s not designed for trekking with a heavy sack on. This is the perfect garment for stashing in your pack (or even your pocket) when out and about. If it rains – hey presto you’ve got a fully waterproof shell that you barely noticed carrying with you 

Features wise it is pretty basic, hence the low weight. With non-adjustable eradicated cuffs and waist and a single miniature pocket just big enough for a small mobile phone or set of keys, oh and some reflective logos to make you more visible at night.

In use it fared very well. I literally do take it with me whenever I go out these days, and have used it biking, running, walking and climbing. When biking the lack of adjustment around the waist means that it flaps around (and spray from my mud-guardless back wheel soaked my lower back which was irritating). The tiny pocket is a shade too small for my liking, but otherwise it’s a fantastically lightweight addition to my wardrobe that is seeing a lot of use. Importantly it comes with a small stuffsack which will surely prolong its bottom-of-rucksack life.
 

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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It’s funny, when I started climbing the BMC and various climbing clubs around the country were responsible for virtually all of our country’s guide books. Then along came Rockfax and upset the applecart. Not long after the two sides managed to come to a harmonious balance Vertebrate Publishing appeared on the scene and appear to be making their mark (interestingly they are simultaneously leading the charge for the UK Mountain Biking guide market). Perhaps an exaggeration as they only have two guides in print, but let’s face it, they are the big two… The Peak District is the second most visited national park in the world and its crags see more than their fair share of visitors. Where Peak District Bouldering may have missed the mark by aiming at the mid to high grade boulderer, the brand new Peak District Climbing does the opposite, appealing to the masses with its 850 classics up to E1. Not only that, but it redresses the previous guide’s elitism by including classic boulder problems as well as routes in this tally. And to top things off it even includes the best of the sport routes in the area making a combination guide that has never been attempted before.

Here’s what it says on their website:
Over 400 of the best routes from Mod to HVS are included, together with suggestions for good E1s to try. The Peak’s best gritstone and limestone crags are covered. Also featured are the mid-grade sport climbing venues of Horseshoe Quarry and Harpur Hill Quarry – over 50 of the best routes from F5 to F6c+. 350 of the Peak’s best gritstone boulder problems up to Font 7a are also included for the keen boulderer.
Retailing at £19.95 it’s a fairly standard price for a guide and comes with a heap of good quality and inspiring photos to illustrate the area. Coming from a publisher that started out life as a graphics designer you’d be right in thinking that it looks and feels good to boot.
In a nutshell it’s a fantastic concept, well put together and beautifully presented, but comes with a warning. If you live in the Peak or at least climb there regularly it lacks the detail provided by the full collection of definitive guides (expensive to buy the lot mind you). If you are an occasional visitor, or live here and simply want the ultimate tick list or an inspiration manual then it has to be on your shelf. Let it be an example to other ‘selected climbs’ books around the country.

Featured crags:
Birchen Edge
Burbage North
Burbage South
Cratcliffe Tor and Robin Hood's Stride
Curbar
Froggatt
Lawrencefield
Millstone
Rivelin
Stanage
Castle Naze
Hen Cloud
Kinder North
Kinder South
The Roaches
Wimberry
Windgather
Cheedale: Blackwell Halt
Harborough Rocks
Harpur Hill Quarry
Horseshoe Quarry
Staden Quarry
Stoney Middleton
Wildcat

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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Weighing in at 709g these are a very light weight pair of running shoes with a fairly major difference to most. The traditional lacing system has been replaced with a fairly neat wired closure system. Basically uou slip your foot inside, make sure the tongue is placed comfortably, reach around to the heel, press the round button ‘in’, and twist to tighten the laces to the desired tension. As the button is twisted the wire, which criss-crosses the tongue in much the same way as a standard pair of laces would do, tightens uniformly to give a very snug and comfortable fit.

On first use this seemed to be a genuine step forward, but after a few months of use a fairly irritating niggle has come to light. When twisting the button to tighten the wires, the button some times doesn’t engage, or becomes disengaged part way through winging, meaning that you have to start again – no big deal as the whole operation only takes a second or two, but frustrating nevertheless. It’s also worth noting that should one of the wires break it would be a case of sending the shoe back to the shop / manufacturer for mending / replacement as opposed to simply buying some news laces. This shouldn’t be a problem however as the metal wir should outlast the rest of the shoe.

How did they function as a regular running shoe? The tread is not the most adherent I’ve ever worn – extra care needs to be taken on wet rock), but other than that they are great. There is a ‘silver agent’ woven into the footbed to prevent odours from taking hold. I can’t say I’ve noticed them being at all smelly so must assume that this works . One thing to note is that they are a distinctly cold shoe to wear! The sides are made of a lightweight mesh which lets in both water and wind very readily, so probably worth avoiding without some sort of thermal socks in snowy or cold and wet conditions!
 

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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My first impression of Stone Play was that this was a book full of pretty pictures and pretentious quotes about bouldering attempting to justify what to many of the world’s population is a fairly pointless pastime. The photos are indeed pretty, though fairly random in choice. Ffor example there are a few of Dave MacLeod, but none of James Pearson. Granted, Dave is no slouch when it comes to bouldering, but James is the only person in the world to have flashed two Font 8B boulder problems. I guess this is one of the points of the book – it is not a manual of the best boulders in the world doing the hardest problems in the world. I suppose on reflection that this is a breath of fresh air. As for the quotes, well it’s not a book to sit and read from cover to cover, but more of a dip in and out of and contemplate the short message kind of read. Many of them are genuinely interesting and thought provoking, written by many of the pre-eminent bolderes of the generations. Retails at £19.95

Well worth filling your stocking with and leaving by the toilet for occasional reading.
 

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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Well, what a wonderful book. The depth of coverage, the erudite and enthusiastic text, the accuracy of information and, above all, the infectious enthusiasm which shines through every page makes this a must-have for wild swimmers and armchair readers alike.

It is a delightful book comprising descriptions and photographs of a superb collection of inland water bodies (rivers, lakes, fords and others) that the author has identified as the best wild swimming spots in the UK.

I do not claim to be such an aficionado of wild swimming as Daniel Start, the author, but through the years I have dipped into more than a few of the places he describes, and I do have first-hand knowledge of Snowdonia where I have lived for most of my life. Perhaps I have one or two reservations about seeing some very special places laid bare for all to find, but hey! That’s the evil of guidebooks I suppose.

Next time I visit Llyn Eiddew Bach (number 91), I’ll be searching for that ‘secret piece of string’. I was last there when we camped – and swam - a couple of years ago. We took our 5-week-old grandson for his first mountain camp. It’s a special favourite of ours.

Just one omission; well, lots of omissions of course, but he has chosen the cream. Why no mention of the Afon Edno pools? My personal favourite, but perhaps some secrets are just too special to promote.

Well done, a lovely book and one that can only bring happiness.

For those with internet access you might like to log on to http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/index.html where you can check out an online map of other areas that have been added by the general wild swimming public. You could even add your own.

Reviewed by Alan Heason on behalf of planetFear

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